Sublime eclectic mayhem. That’s been my playlist project and musical life, one that begins with The Muppet Movie soundtrack and later involves performing hymns, death metal, surf, and bluegrass. I’ve played in theaters, tents, and basements, for multi-stage festivals and squirrel rodeos. I’ve written and recorded music for The Drunken Odyssey. Sublime eclectic mayhem. A warning and a welcome for joyous noise, for those navigating what Beckett called “this bitch of an earth.”

X.         There is a history of knives used in ritual exorcisms. The blade is a spiritual scalpel removing the demonic tumor. Similarly, some traditions use knives to keep the mischievous and evil away. A knife in one’s pocket will leave the bearer too heavy to be carried away by fairies. Being physically ill is a sign of spiritual maladies. The sick are inclined to put knives under their pillows to ward off demons. The grieving in some cultures refused knives, even at meals, in the house of the recently deceased. This was so as not to harm the spirit of the loved one.

Possession and Other Spiritual Maladies

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “I Get High On You” – Sly Stone
2. “Image and Style” – Joe Goddard, Suku of Ward 21, Dynamite MC
3. “Hot Roy” – Peter Murphy
4. “Andromeda” – Preoccupations
5. “Transition” – Laibach, Human Voice Ensemble
6. “BLK ZMBY” – Billy Woods, Steel Tipped Dove
7. “Singers and Swallows” – Tusmørke
8. “Drove Up from Pedro” – Mike Watt, Carla Bozulich
9. “Music for Chameleons” – Gary Numan
10. “Introitus” – Sven Helbig, Dresdner Kreuzchor, Staatskapelle Dresden, Martin Lehmann
11. “Exit Man” – Sereptie
12. “Capricorn” – Esthesis Quartet, Bill Frisell
13. “Credo” – The Electric Prunes

Stephen McClurg (Episode 473 & 666) composes and improvises in Serenity Dagger, The Abdomen, and other projects. Along with session work for mid-Alabama singer/songwriters, he frequently collaborates with musicians across the state adding bass, guitar, and synths to friends’ recordings. He currently writes reviews for Horror DNA and is the substitute low end wrangler for Mobile-based punk rock band Future Hate. You can find out more about his work here.